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Remembering the Life and Legacy of Senator John Mccain; Mass Shooting In Jacksonville, Florida. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired August 26, 2018 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: To our viewers in United States and around the world, I'm Ana Cabrera in New York, and welcome to the "CNN Newsroom." Tonight, remembering a titan of politics, a war hero and maverick, a man who loved his family and his country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Very happy with my life. I'm very happy with what I have been able to do, and there is two ways of looking at these things, and one of them is to celebrate. I am able to celebrate a wonderful life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CBRERA: A lot has been said about the loss of John McCain, the man, and the loss of what John McCain represented, too, and about America, but perhaps his long time colleague and friend from the other side of the political aisle, former Vice President Joe Biden said it best, "John McCain's life is proof that some truths are timeless -- character, courage, integrity, honor -- and a life lived embodying those truths casts a long, long shadow. John McCain is going to cast a long shadow, and his impact on America has not ended, not even close. It is going to go on for many years to come."
John McCain, the six-term Arizona senator, former prisoner of war and one-time Republican presidential nominee, died Saturday at the age of 81. His colleagues, and friends and family remembering a man so passionate about his belief, but who also understood the art of compromise for the greater good. And on that last issue, he famously seized the moment last July during a dramatic return to the Senate after his cancer diagnosis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: Stop listening to the bombastic loudmouths on the radio and the television and the internet. To hell with them! Let's trust each other. Let's return to regular order. We have been spinning our wheels on too many important issues because we keep trying to find a way to win without help from across the aisle. We are getting nothing done, my friends, we are getting nothing done.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CABRERA: McCain will lie in state in the U.S. capital rotunda ahead
of his funeral at the national Cathedral in Washington followed by his burial at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland. Before he died, McCain asked former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to deliver eulogies, two men who at different time kept McCain from becoming president, political losses that never diminished his love of service.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: I have had the good fortune to spend 60 years in service to this wondrous land. It has not been perfect service to be sure, and there will probably times when the country might have benefited a little less of my help, but I have tried to deserve the privilege as best I can, and I have been repaid a thousand times over with adventures, with good company and with the satisfaction of serving something more important than myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: During his life, McCain survived several brushes with death, plane crashes, bouts with skin cancer and years of torture in enemy captivity in Vietnam. And it is those years, locked in a cell in Hanoi enduring the worse of humanity. Then McCain said he fell in love with his country.
He wrote in his memoir, "Faith of My Fathers," "I had loved her before then, but like most young people, my affection was little more than a simple appreciation for the comforts and privileges most Americans took for granted. It wasn't until I had lost America for a time that I realized how much I loved her."
The ordeal would go on to define the future senator and presidential candidate's life that inspired the respect of his colleagues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BOB DOLE (R), FORMER SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: No one works any harder on the issues of war and peace. I did not agree with Senator McCain on normalizing relations with Vietnam. But he was there, and I wasn't. And no one takes this responsibility more seriously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Former senate majority leader and World War II veteran Bob Dole is joining us now by phone. Senator, thank you for your time. Thank you for your service. Tell me, what does John McCain mean to you?
DOLE (via telephone): Well, he is my friend and my hero. And we served together for years. He is a complete package. This man had it all. He had courage of course -- he demonstrated when he was a prisoner of war.
[17:05:04] But he is also very bright, very smart man and senator. Now, sometimes John would get a little angry and somebody would complain to me as their leader and I would just simply say, well, if you were locked up in a cage for five years, you might lose your temper now and then, too.
CABRERA: Yes, he had an excuse, no doubt.
DOLE: Well, he had a perfect, you know, he didn't do it trying to make a point by losing his temper. He just sometimes boiled over it, and when he did, nobody really paid a lot of attention except when he cast a vote that hurt the Republican Party, but that didn't happen, I don't know, maybe half a dozen times.
And everybody's talked about his courage and his statesmanship and his love of America and his family and his children, and then the colleagues that he served with. I don't -- can't think of a one that ever stood on the senate floor and criticized John McCain.
CABRERA: Wow.
DOLE: There wasn't anything to criticize. I mean, the guy was honest, and he was a man of integrity. He spoke his mind and if you didn't agree with it, that was OK with him. But he wanted to make his position clear that he would vote for measures that were good for America, period.
CABRERA: He put country and all people before himself. You served with him well over a decade in the senate. Do you have a favorite memory?
DOLE: Well, I wore John's POW bracelet for a number of years, and one day in the senate, I decided to let John know, and so we got off in a corner and I had extended my arm, and on my wrist was John McCain's POW bracelet. It was kind of an emotional thing for John. But he was my friend and, you know, what do you say about a man like John McCain?
CABRERA: I have learned so much more about John McCain in this last year of his life that I had really no understanding or comprehension of the depth of this man until now. I want to read you something that I thought hit home for me. These were some of opening lines from his speech when he nominated you for president in 1996.
And he said, "In America we celebrate the virtues of the quiet hero, the modest man who does his duty without complaints or expectation of praise. The man who listens closely for the call of his country and when she calls, he answers without reservation, not for fame or reward, but for love. He loves his country."
Senator, those were Senator McCain's words about you, but I bet many people would say the same about him.
DOLE: Oh, I would say the same double about him. I mean, as I said, he was the complete package. You know, he -- we were so honored to have John McCain in the senate and part of our team. And he was always, you know, he'd always vote with us with a few exceptions. He is a great guy and a good friend and an icon and all of the things that have been said about John McCain.
But he was a man who loved his family, loved Cindy, his wife, and he loved those people he worked with, his staff. You are no better than your staff, and he had a great staff, and he loved his staff. And there was never any doubt about John McCain's honesty or integrity. You didn't have to agree with him, but you had to -- you would listen to him because it made a lot of sense.
CABRERA: Do you remember the last time that you spoke with him?
DOEL: It has been about two months ago. But I talked with his wife several times in between and talked with her -- I think the day he stopped his treatment.
[17:10:03] CABRERA: I'll give you a moment. Thank you, Senator Dole. I know you and John McCain had similar paths. You both served in the military. You both served as lawmakers. You both became nominees for the Republican Party for president. As two of the only people to get that close, do you feel content with your contribution and do you think that Senator McCain ultimately did?
DOLE: Now, what was the question?
CABRERA: Given your parallel paths that you and Senator McCain had, I just wonder what your perspective is on whether he felt satisfied about his contribution to this country, and as a public servant as a senator and a Republican presidential nominee.
DOLE: In my book he gets an A-plus. You know, he was just a different kind of person because he is, you know, been tortured for over five years and refused to go when he could have gone, because other prisoners had been there longer. He was that kind of person all of his life.
When John McCain -- he would come up to me and say, old pal, what is going on today? You know, he is just a nice guy and we got along fine and never had a problem that I can think of except that I did have to quell a few misunderstandings.
CABRERA: Does John McCain represent a more civilized time in politics, do you think?
DOLE: Oh, yes. You know, we could use John McCain now and it is so part of the now that it is difficult to get much done. But John McCain would work across the aisle and I believed in compromise, so we were able to work with our democratic friends and got a lot done. And if we look at our military today, you want to say thank you John McCain. With the strongest, most powerful military in the world, and much of it is due to John McCain's action on the Armed Services Committee.
CABRERA: You know, as evidenced by the tributes from all living former presidents, numbers of both parties, Senator McCain clearly has left a mark on American politics. He was very outspoken to the very end when he disagreed, often clashing with our current president. Are you surprised by how Donald Trump has spoken about someone like John McCain?
DOLE: Well, I have not heard Donald Trump -- something he said today?
CABRERA: No, just in the past year and a half, I mean, their public feud if you want to call it that, has obviously been evident?
DOLE: I am not sure of the genesis to that and what happened, but I know John McCain disinvited the president to attend his funeral service.
CABRERA: Right.
DOLE: So there must have been something and I was not aware what caused the riff between the president and John McCain.
CABRERA: Who do you see as picking up where John McCain left off?
DOLE: Oh, boy. I don't see anybody -- anyone now in the senate. There may be someone there that I am not aware of, but John had this gift where he could walk across the aisle in the senate and talk to his Democratic friends, and get sometimes, get their votes on an amendment he may have had or a bill he may have had. And he had a way of persuading people that you should vote for this bill or this amendment, because A-B-C-D, whatever. He is just a great guy.
CABRERA: Yes.
DOLE: And, you know, everybody talks about his courage and it is true, and his bravery and what he did in Vietnam. You know, he suffered a couple of broken arms in a plane crash.
CABRERA: Yes.
DOLE: But he never, never complained. I never heard him -- and we were pretty good friends. I never heard him complain about anything. You know, he might have complained about we are not getting anything done here, but he got things done by crossing over and talking with his Democratic friends.
[17:15:06] CABRERA: Right. What made him so effective and so convincing?
DOLE: Well, just John McCain. I mean, he just, you know, I've never -- you know, some senators get up there and they get on the floor and they attack their colleagues. That never happened to a John McCain. Everybody was John's friend. And if you didn't agree with him, that is all right with him. And sometimes, you know, he would boil over a little, but, people understood why it happened.
CABRERA: Yes. Former Senator Bob Dole, I really appreciate your time. Thank you for sharing your memories and your thoughts about a true American hero, John McCain.
DOLE: Thank you. Thanks, Ana. Thank you.
CABRERA: Thank you. Still to come, so much more as we remember the extraordinary life of Senator John McCain. Plus, we are following live developments out of Jacksonville, Florida, a mass shooting at a video game tournament, what we are learning from authorities about what happened, next, live in the "CNN Newsroom."
[17:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CABRERA: Now to the sort of breaking news we bring you all too often, another mass shooting, this one in Jacksonville, Florida. Officials tell us four people are dead including the alleged gunman who they described as a white male. At least 11 others are injured. The gunfire erupted during a video gaming tournament.
This is at a popular shopping complex in downtown Jacksonville. The game being played, Madden 19, is the football game. We have video of the tournament as it was being broadcast live online. You can hear what sounds like gunfire, and I got to warn you, this may be disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNSHOTS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (BLEEP) What did you shoot me with?
(GUNSHOTS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: CNN's Polo Sandoval is joining us now. You've been following this Polo. There was just a press conference with the authorities. What did we learn?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Only about 30 minutes ago, Ana, about three key takeaways from this latest press event, this latest public release of information a few moments ago from authorities down on the ground in Jacksonville. But first is that the scene has been secured. The scene has been cleared.
Also, that there are no outstanding suspects. The person that they believe is responsible for this is dead. Some questions that authorities are not really able to answer at this point because this only happened a few hours ago there in Jacksonville. There is more information about this motive, more information about the suspect. This is the only thing that authorities were willing to share at this point about the person they believe is responsible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE WILLIAMS, SHERIFF, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: We have no outstanding suspects at this time, no outstanding suspects. And we have one suspect in the case. He is deceased at the scene at this point. He is a white male. We are still working to confirm his identity.
(END VIDEP CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And the sheriff also not saying if they believed that the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound or perhaps during some sort of a gun fire exchange with the authorities. We don't know any of that, and of course, the key question here, what led to Florida's latest mass shooting that happened today at this video gaming event that was sanctioned by EA Sports? We just don't know, Ana. There is a lot of rumor and speculation that
is circulating through online communities. Of course, authorities are not touching any of that, neither are we, of course. We are simply trying to get the very latest from investigators, which is that at this point, is that the scene has been cleared. It 's been secured and they have no more outstanding suspects.
CABRERA: Again, four dead, 11 people injured. Continue to stay on top of this and let us know what you learn. Thank you, Polo.
The maverick may be gone, but his legacy will live on forever. CNN continues to remember the life of Senator John McCain, a war hero. Here he is in his own words reflecting on how he hopes to be remembered.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MCCAIN: I hope those who mourn my passing and even those who don't, will celebrate as I celebrate a happy life lived in imperfect service to a country made of ideals, whose continued success is the hope of the world. And I wish you all great adventures, good company and lives as lucky as mine."
(END AUDIO CLIP)
[17:25:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CABRERA: Hero, patriot, fighter, just a few of the strong words used to describe a strong man. The maverick, John McCain, who passed away yesterday -- Democrats and Republicans alike offering gratitude and reverence for his inspiring life. Those who knew him best all said the same things about his personality, describing a man with principle, determination and seemingly limitless energy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BUCHANAN, FORMER MCCAIN PRESS SECRETARY: He is like a shark, like he can't stop moving which keeps him who he is. And he's, he is hard to keep up wit with. On all of our international travels, he'd be the one up reading its briefing book while the rest of us would be passed out sleeping. First one up and first one off of the plane, first one into a meeting, that is who he is.
DANA BASH, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENTE: You are a few years younger than John McCain.
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D), DELAWARE: Just a couple.
BASH: Difficult to keep up with him?
COONS: Yes. I have to tell you honestly on our most recent trip to Vietnam and Singapore, he keeps a punishing schedule. He starts early and he goes late. He fills absolutely everyday, chock-full of meetings and conversations. He has boundless energy and a remarkable intellect.
BASH: And tell me about his sense of humor. TOM DASCHLE, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: There are people who are really
great at funny stories and I don't see John as a storyteller, as much as I have my one-liner and just --
DANA BASH: Just quick wit
DASCHLE: A quick wit, yes, exactly.
JOE LIEBERMAN, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: He loves to laugh. He loves humor. A little known fact about John McCain, if you just give him the slightest provocation, he will go into a series of one-liners by the late great comedian Henny Youngman.
BASH: Really?
LIEBERMAN: Oh, my goodness. And laughing all the way.
BASH: And that connected you guys?
LIEBERMAN: I think that connected us. We both liked to laugh.
BASH: He really does love literature.
[17:30:00] SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Oh, my gosh. We've traveled the globe 100 times probably, and I think that he would jump out of the plane if he didn't have a book.
BASH: Mostly fiction or nonfiction?
GRAHAM: History. He can tell you about every knight templar and I can tell you about every knight templar because he's telling me about them.
LIEBERMAN: He reads history. You won't be surprised that he reads fiction, too, and he has certain favorite books of fiction like Hemingway's --
BASH: "For Whom the Bell Tolls."
LIEBERMAN: There you go. He goes back to that all the time.
BASH: What do his favorite authors tell you about McCain?
WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: That he really believes in the romantic ideal of fighting for ones belief even if you know you're going to fail.
BASH: He's really obsessed with figures larger than life.
Yes.
BASH: Teddy Roosevelt, Robert Jordan and, you know, his father.
JOHN WEAVER, FORMER CONSULTANT, MCCAIN'S PRESIDENTTIAL CAMPAIGN: What is the central thread with all of the people you just named? It is either their honor or their struggle with honor. I think that's the central thread and that's the common thread I see with John everyday. It's that constant search for honor.
DASCHLE: He sees these giants of the past as people he, himself, would like to aspire to, and there is. There is a certain amount of Teddy Roosevelt in John McCain, somebody who really can invoke an inspiration when you watch him from a distance. And, you know, that is what I think he has aspired to be for a long time and to a certain extent, he has achieved it.
COONS: It's the second time I am going on a trip with him and, you know, I'm a very junior senator at this point. You drive up to Andrews Air Force Base and there is, you know, all these guys standing in attention go out to this great big airplane that says United States of America, and I'm in one of the, you know, small seats.
And way in the back there is John McCain at his great big table with his four senior senators. And he spots me, and he says, Coons, you -- and I can't repeat anything, you know, get off of my plane. Yes, sir, what? And Lindsey comes over and grabs my arm and says, "That's how you know he likes you."
LIEBERMNAN: He once referred to a guy working for me by an expletive and I said to the guy working for me, you have made it. If John is calling you by a swear word, you are in the inner circle.
COHEN: He has a temper, it's quick but he doesn't hold grudges that I've seen.
WEAVER: Once we were in New Hampshire and he had really let (ph) me up and so I thought, well, (inaudible) want to get near him. And at the end of the day -- this was our first thing in the morning -- at the end of the day, he walks over with two ice cream cones --
BASH: Peace offering.
WEAVER: Peace offering and offers me an ice cream cone and we move on. And, you know, he writes a apology notes. He is famous for those.
BASH: Really?
WEAVER: Oh yes. He does not hold grudges. He is a man remarkably who looks forward not backward.
BASH: Maverick, ideologue, temperamental, there are so many words that have been used to describe John McCain. What would you use?
DASCHLE I would use committed, faithful. I would use fun, institutionalist. I'd use hero.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: He will be remembered as a hero, a maverick, a legend who gave his life to serve his country. Up next, we will hear how the people he served in Arizona are remembering John McCain.
[17:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: It's tough. I'm going to miss him. I have admired him, like I said, my entire life and it is tough to imagine a senate without him. It is tough to imagine politics without John McCain, but we need to go on.
(JEND VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Tributes are pouring in from across the nation after the death of war hero and six-term senator John McCain. Reaction is especially strong in McCain's home state of Arizona where the first of three memorial services for him will take place. CNN's Kyung Lah is live in Phoenix and joins us now. Kyung, McCain took on the somber task of planning his own funeral while he was still alive. What can you tell us about how he approached this?
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he wanted it on his terms and Senator Flake there really captured it, but it is hard to imagine politics without a Senator McCain. The way we've been hearing people in this state talk about their Senator, Arizona's favorite son, is that it is impossible to imagine Arizona without Senator McCain.
And so in that vein, there is going to be very many opportunities for the public beginning here in Arizona to say farewell to the late Senator John McCain, beginning here at the capital. You can see that the flags outside of the Arizona state capital, they have been lowered in honor of the senator's death.
The public ceremonies will begin here where the public can begin saying farewell, but unofficially, the farewell really began yesterday as we saw the hearse carrying the senator's body left his beloved ranch in Arizona winding through the streets of Phoenix, heading down to Phoenix 100 miles away from the ranch. And then people coming out to wave flags to say farewell.
The official tick tock of the senator's farewell, the numerous ceremonies that are going to be talking place began on Wednesday. They have just been released after a private ceremony the Arizona state capital rotunda. He will lie in state for six hours that public will be able to ay farewell.
[17:40:02] Thursday morning, there will be a public memorial service at the Baptist church in Phoenix and then the senator departs for D.C. The service will happen on Friday at the U.S. capital rotunda where he will lie in state on Saturday. There will be a national memorial service at the National Cathedral.
And then on Sunday, the senator will be laid to rest at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. It is where he began his military career, Ana. It is where he learned his guiding principles where he learned to love his country and where the service began. It is a fitting farewell, say many people here in Arizona who knew him best that he end there, Ana.
CABRERA: And I'm sure so many people in the public in Arizona and around the country since he will be in a couple of different locations, will be there and wanting to say a few words to show their respects. Kyung Lah, thank you for that reporting. And as we go to break live in the "CNN Newsroom," let's hear more from McCain himself on the subject that made the man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: I have had the good fortune to spend 60 years in service to this wondrous land. It has not been perfect service to be sure and there were probably times when the country might have benefited a little less of my help, but I have tried to preserve (ph) the privileges best I can. And I've been repaid a thousand times over with adventures, with good company, and with the satisfaction of serving something more important than myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[17:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CABRERA: One of John McCain's closest friends on Capitol Hill was Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. These two Republican not only served together for about 15 years. They had a friendship that transcended politics. CNN's Dana Bash recently sat down with Senator Graham and she asked him about the integrity, heroism and humor that defined McCain's character.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Why are people so loyal to John McCain?
GRAHAM: I think respect part of it, is that you got to respect the way he has lived the life, the way he sacrificed for the country, and I think loyalty for his loyalty. You know, he can be tough. He is a politician like the rest of us, but the one thing I always believed about John, if I really needed him, he would be there. When he joins the fight, he sticks to the bitter end, and no changing sides.
BASH: And the two of you are very good friends and I think one of the things that draw you to one another is humor?
GRAHAM: Yes. I have some and he doesn't. So that is very funny. He is funny in the weirdest kind of ways. You know, I'm not a big reader, he is, but I might as well be because he reads the entire book t me.
BASH: He reads aloud?
GRAHAM: Yes, reads aloud. I said, you know, what do you think about this? So I think if I liked that book I would have bought it. But John has a very sarcastic sense of humor that took him to through some pretty dark times, but he's a very funny guy.
BASH: You have such a unique perspective because you've probably travelled with John McCain more than anybody.
GRAHAM: I cannot tell you how many times.
BASH: Should any -- have you ever logged how many miles the two of you travelled?
GRAHAM: Oh, you know, I'd like to do that one day because I can -- we've been to Iraq and Afghanistan 42 times that I know of and almost every time we went together. Do you want to see a country, go with John McCain because they roll out the red carpet, unless you're in Russia, then you're not getting in. But if you to a place, his reputation precedes him and you get the best meetings and they treat you the best.
BASH: And do people connect to John McCain because of his story and history as a POW or because of what he does now?
GRAHAM: Because the way he articulates what America stands for and his love of freedom and he has a way of communicating to people who have been oppressed. I think if you've spent five and a half years in jail, you appreciate your freedom, but John can articulate the aspirations of people who have lived under communism, in the Mideast when he talks to young people about a better life. I mean, he can say it better than anybody I've ever known.
BASH: Talk about John McCain as a military man and the McCain family and what that means for him to try to live up to it.
GRAHAM: OK, to really understand Senator McCain, you got to understand where he comes from family-wise. His dad was a four-star admiral, his grandfather was a four-star admiral. They were gone a lot. His mother, really, she was the heart and soul of that family but the values of his father and grandfather, he very -- mean a lot to him.
So, when John talks about the military, he does so with a reverence. When he visits the troops, he feels compelled not to let them down. There is a part of John McCain that to this day is driven by not letting people down. You know, it is my job to take care of these men and women. And I think his father and his grandfather instilled in him a sense of duty, honor and country.
BASH: And part of duty, honor and country for him is integrity.
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: I mean, his integrity and doing what is right --
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: -- is everything.
GRAHAM: It is because in the military is everything. It is hard to follow somebody that you don't believe has your best interests at heart, and John like the rest of us is a politician, but when it comes to the military, he's been unwavering in that sense of putting the interests of those men and women ahead of anything else in terms of his political life and including friendships.
[17:50:01] BASH: Tell me about John McCain's temper. GRAHAM: He's got one. You know, he can bite (ph) honestly. He can get really mad but the ability to let it go which amazes me to this day, I mean, he can really let it rip and come up and say, hey, I'm sorry.
BASH: Have you ever been on the receiving end of this --
GRAHAM: Oh, everybody has. Ask everybody in the senate. If you haven't been cussed out by John, it means you haven't done much. But he takes, I mean, every cause is just like, the most important thing of the moment. And if you're on the other side, you're a crappy person. And when it's over, hey, buddy, how are you doing? He just to this day fights like he's a plebe at the naval academy.
BASH: The big return. He had a surgery. He got the diagnosis and he came back. First of all, the moment when he walked into the senate chamber.
GRAHAM: Yes. I mean, I didn't see this coming. You know, I thought it would be something with the melanoma. I knew he wasn't himself, but nobody close to him, and including him, expected this diagnosis. So when it came back, for the first time, I appreciated him, I didn't take for granted that he would be there. I've always viewed him as indestructible. It's never crossed my mind that there would be political life for Lindsey Graham without John McCain until now.
BASH: That must be hard.
GRAHAM: It's different. It's different. So when he came back is the first time I saw him walk in the chamber where I really thought that maybe he wouldn't be here forever.
BASH: And witnessing the embrace after embrace after embrace, it seemed to take him by surprise.
GRAHAM: I think he appreciated it, didn't expect it, but it meant the world to him. And from everybody on behalf of his family, it meant the world to him and some people came up and hugged him who had been on the wrong side in John's mind, in their mind, John was on the wrong side for 20 years. It says a lot about the guy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: We are also continuing to follow breaking news this afternoon. The latest details from Jacksonville, Florida where sources say at least 11 people have been shot. Four of them killed. This is a mass shooting, they're calling it, at a video game tournament and we'll continue to bring you the updates as we get them.
But first coming up this Labor Day, a CNN special event. The television premiere of RBG, and as we take a closer look at the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we're also examining how the experience of all American women has changed dramatically. Today, we're looking at changes in traditional roles at home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the past, society's conception of what a woman could and couldn't do revolved around traditional ideas of home making. In 1954, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was working for the Social Security Administration when she discovered she was pregnant. She got demoted. She was lucky she didn't get fired. In 1973 the year Roe v. Wade was decided, banks could still decline a woman's application for credit unless a man preferably her husband co-signed.
RBG led efforts to give women power over their bodies and their income. Her work toward 1978's Pregnancy Discrimination Act secured women's ability to work and receive benefits through pregnancy and childbirth. RBG has used her time on the Supreme Court to continue protecting equal rights for all genders. In her own home, she proved that equality contributes to a successful partnership.
RUTH BADER GINSBURG, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: When there is a sharing of responsibility, that's the day that women will be truly liberated.
Watch "RBG" on Monday, September 3rd at 9:00 p.m. on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're at the North Fork Championship. It's the hardest whitewater course in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you meet river that poses a lot of risks and a lot of unknowns for us as kayakers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are racing in a really hard river. I was really nervous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's certainly aggressive. It can be violent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you were to break a paddle, it is super dangerous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes the waves will come and crash and you find yourself on your head and you just try to roll up. Hopefully, you haven't hit a rock by then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No risk, no reward.
Set in the rapids of Idaho's Payette River, the North Fork Championship has become one of the world's premier kayak competitions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the best kayakers in the world are here. Olympians now are here, which we have always wanted, but not winning every round, so it is really cool to see other athletes doing really well against the fastest-known people in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A select group of 30 athletes race a section of the river known as Jacob's Ladder, an expert-level class-five rapid. The fastest time wins. And the race begins with one big drop. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For a lot of people, the ramp looks really
intimidating. Once you are out there, there's no turning back. You come off this eight-foot ramp, land in the water, you're riding this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if the rapids weren't hard enough, racers have to paddle through a set course, forcing them to make difficult moves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to go on either side of the gate or go around it, coming back upstream.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They'll make you go to places that you would never go. And, you know, it's complicated. There is rocks, the water is moving really fast, so any mistake you do, you can crash really bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if riders accidentally hit a gate, they're penalized with time added to their run.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've lost the race in the past because of that.
